Shortly after the update went live on Tuesday, player counts surged past 228,000 concurrent users. According to data from SteamDB, this represents an all-time high for the title, underscoring the remarkable organic interest the game has maintained even while remaining in a tightly controlled testing environment managed by Valve.
Valve Provides an Update on Deadlock’s Progress
Alongside the rollout of the City Never Sleeps update, Valve issued a comprehensive statement regarding the game’s overall development trajectory, which indicates that the project is still a considerable distance away from a formal commercial release. Reflecting on the progression of the game since January’s "Old Gods New Blood" update, the development team explained that they felt significant foundational work remained on the core game itself before they could transition into later phases of production, such as polishing older hero artwork and finalizing visual assets.
The Deadlock team noted that they have been actively developing a wide array of features in parallel, some of which are fully integrated into the City Never Sleeps patch, while others are still being refined behind the scenes.
"Some others are things we’ve been working on in the last few months alongside this update," the team shared in a statement. "This even includes things like progression and hero/hideout customizations, as we feel those are features we want to be able to adjust and significantly change based on feedback before the game is fully released. There are also other things we’ve been working on recently that are more speculative—as in we aren’t 100% sure if they will be released or not based on how playtesting goes, though results so far have been promising—like large item redesigns/additions and alternate game modes that expand the scope of the game."
Despite the lengthy road ahead, the team conveyed a strong sense of satisfaction with how Deadlock has evolved over the past few years, largely driven by continuous iteration and the vital feedback provided by the active community of playtesters.
What’s in Deadlock’s City Never Sleeps Update
The City Never Sleeps update brings an immense volume of changes to the experience, headlined by a brand-new New York City map. This environment captures the gritty, atmospheric vibe of the early-to-mid 20th century city that never sleeps, rendered through the distinctive, highly stylized, and slightly spooky lens that fans have come to expect from the franchise.
Within this new metropolitan setting, the traditional neutral creatures that players have grown accustomed to farming have been entirely replaced with inventive, lore-fitting entities known as Haunts. These new map elements add fresh tactical considerations for players navigating the lanes and jungle areas of the updated arena.
In addition to the map overhaul, Valve has introduced six new heroes, many of whom draw heavy thematic inspiration from the New York setting. The roster additions include Nurse Harrow, Rat King, Solomon, Deadman Danny, Baba, and Violet. Standout designs immediately catching the community’s attention include the Rat King—complete with a pizza rat supplicant—and Solomon, a sharp-minded competitive chess player. Meanwhile, characters like Baba offer a quirky twist, introducing a grandmotherly figure who wanders the battlefield accompanied by pigeons, marking a unique addition to the archetypes typically seen in competitive hero shooters.
To engage the community directly in the rollout process, Valve has implemented an in-game voting system allowing players to cast their ballots on which of the six new heroes will be fully deployed to the active roster first.
Players looking for deeper patch notes, comprehensive breakdown lists, and further technical specifications on the City Never Sleeps update can find more information directly on the official Deadlock website.
